The grotesquelly underestimated "Wild Wild West" is surely Barry Sonnenfelds's masterpiece. The problem the typical unresponsive or hostile reviewer seems to me to have had with this very popular 1999 film is an inability to make sense of it for what it is: a burlesque of 19th century Southern quasi-fascism in the guise of retro science fiction in a Jules Verne/H.G. Wells mold. (A kind of Right-rearding political correctness similar to that that marred the crtical response to "Brother, Where Art Thou" and scuttled the reputation of the rich and worthwhile "Hurry Sundown" seems at work here.) The film's battle of Black Yankee Will Smith and rebel "salon" dancer-hooker Selma Hyak against a post-bellum alliance of recent Confederate notables, would-be British Imperialist Civil War allies of the Confederacy and proto fascist Prussian militarists is hilarious. The action is better paced, as well as more specatacularly conceived, than that of any other Sonnenfeld film. This is a pop film to evoke the alternative history and retro-science fiction fanatasies of Pynchon's high-art literary masterpieice of late 19th and early 2oth century anarchist.

Why does modern day Hollywood try forcing political correctness on us??? Will Smith as James West trying to save the country in 1869? Sorry but I know my history and this is an insult to it. Consider that in 1869 a black man was nothing more than a freed slave, and would not have been granted such a task befitting John Steed or James Bond. This is not a racist remark. Rather, it's the truth. Just like modern Hollywood to ignore history. Nothing against Will Smith. He is a fine actor. I enjoy his work. However, through no fault of his own, he is seriously miscast in this one. I realize that Hollywood has a dramatic license, but please try to at least make sense.

Having recently discovered the joys of Steampunk, I ordered this with a bit of anticipation. Loved the tv series as a kid, and this was just as enjoyable.

Great Movie With a sense of humor and creativity. Will Smith and Kevin Kline team up to bring the laughs to a higher level combined with an intersting mix of historical Events that creat a very funny Movie.

There's a lot of fighting (that's a euphemism for violence) in this movie, but nothing you can take seriously and I (who avoid violent movies like the plague) could stand it. It's a great flick. It overflows with wit and charm and imagination. West and Gordon play perfectly off each other. Their characters are clearly defined (no, this isn't Williams or Bergman), one dimensional though they be. I loved it. I've seen it 3 times, again last night. It's one of my favorite movies.